More is More. Sometimes.

He who lives in solitude may make his own laws.

(Publilius Syrus)

Got a big packet from Blue Cross, another one from Medicare, and I guess I missed the date to get my SS checks started. This is all too much for me to comprehend, I can barely arrange for my Fosamax prescription to be refilled! Here I am pondering how this happened to me:Note I am wearing my tiara, but the old glasses. I didn't know someone was taking my picture.

Wow, things have been nutty since I got back to Boston. Today a friend from the 1960's came by on her way to Maine with her two grown daughters and husband. She was one of my best pals back then, but she moved to southern CA and put down her roots there. It was so much fun to meet her fabulous beautiful and accomplished daughters and make fun of the Housewives of Orange County. One of the girls was even named for my own daughter because she liked the name so much.

But that was simply a little break of sanity for me. I got on a tear to download more of my stuff and so started sorting through a few cupboards where I knew I had stashed old Ironstone. I loved this stuff in our old Victorian and used pieces all over the house. Since I took 23 years collecting it from one cheap flea market to another, it was kind of special to me and I just couldn't get rid of it all back when we moved. Some went into a storeroom in boxes but most got secreted away in the backs of cupboards so I could visit once in awhile. So now I know I have to deal with it and started getting it all out into the light again and here is what happened:

Ohmigawd...

OK, so I need to be committed. This doesn't take into account the things I have already sold at the yard sales, or the things I took to Florida, or the five chamber pots in the bathroom, or a few other things. I counted over 200 odd pieces (counting a set of plates as 1 item). So then I took little pictures of all of them, yup- one by one little portraits against a white background so I could always have them to look at. And as I was taking the pictures I decided that this was the subject for my new handmade book so kept that in mind as I progressed.

This is not good stuff, only picked because I loved the shapes and the repetition of shapes with like things grouped together. For instance,

Little house salt and pepper shakers- I have two sets, but one set is more beat up than this one. Cute, huh?
A cheese or yogurt strainer. Only have ever seen this one but love it for the conehead.
My match striker. I don't use matches hardly at all, but I'm ready to try and light my fancy pens. This is part of the stuff I keep on my desk: a toast holder for mail, a celery holder for loose pencils and paper clips, this for pens, a stamp holder just to twirl instead of work, and some other loose desky things.
Ironstone ladles, truly one of the most impractical things in my collection. I have three and don't ever even bring them out except for photo shoots- the handles are simply too delicate and it's amazing they have been around for 150 years. Puts alot on my head if they get broken!
One of six little individual teapots that were supposedly made for the railroad. All are different in shape and from two manufacturers, but all have that cute silver tip on the spout.
My (precious-to-me) rubber glove molds that I bought at the Brimfield Fair on a hideous rainy day. I picked out three, and as I was walking away, the table they had been on collapsed and the rest of them went crashing to the ground, smashed forever into the mud. Fortunately for me the guy who I was buying them from saw that I didn't have anything to do with the rubber-glove-mold catastrophy. So they have always had a special SAFE place.
These were little watercolor cups made from Ironstone- they stacked up as high as you want and they have a little lid that sits on top. If you let watercolor evaporate, you can add water and start all over again.
These too were sold as watercolor cups but I think they aren't. They are a little small so I think they had some other industrial use we don't know about any longer. But I have something in mind that no one had ever contemplated- two of these are going to become a book cover for my Ironstone book! Now I just have to figure out how that will ever work...

It has rained pitiously for weeks now- I know many of you are going through the same east coast bout of cold and wet weather, but this is getting absurd. One of the drawbacks is the poor doggie who cannot handle thunder any more. She turns into stainless-steel-dog, stiff and cold. I have tried soothing her, tried ignoring her, tried distracting her but nothing worked until this:
Molly in her THUNDER-COAT! I saw the ad for this online, and pooh-poohed it like a Sham-wow or a Popiel Pocket Fisherman. But the devil came and infiltrated my brain and I said what the hell, and ordered it. Anything for the poor terrified dog. They said it also works for fireworks. It's basically a nice snug dog tee shirt held tight by velcro straps. At 2 AM it started thundering again, I found her half under my bed and pulled her out to strap this thing on her. I then put her on top of the bed and she was calm and relaxed and even stopped panting in spite of the noise and lightening. Within a few minutes I checked to see if she was still breathing and she was sound asleep. I simply can't believe this thing! It's worth twice the price AND she looks cute in it too!

Through all this I have packed up five huge plastic tubs with fabric and other various stuff, then yesterday my boxes arrived so I got two of those filled up and decided I have to be careful because they get too heavy very easily, I've packed up all the books and magazines where my work is included - two smaller book boxes, and cleared off the bulletin board. I've rolled up all my quilts except the ones that are going to Lowell in a few weeks, and I have sharpened about twenty sets of scissors- many were from my mom's stuff. Believe me, I will never have to buy another scissors. All this stuff is being stacked in the hallway for the movers, and to get it out of my way so I can put together more boxes! Only 18 more to go. In addition I have 15 quilts that are very early and certainly not something I want to hang ever again so I am leaving them here- temporarily stacked under the piano. This place is a disaster area.

There is no companion that is as companionable as solitude.

(Henry David Thoreau)

Movin' Movin; Movin'

Tools at the ready!

I hate to be one of those people who are never happy,

(ahem) BUT

It has rained steadily since I got off the plane Sunday night. Not even real rain, just a steady drizzle that's a tad too much for intermittent wipers. All day, all night. I was shocked at the look of things around here from all the wet- the trees have leaves twice as abundant and twice as big as normal. Everything is dark green and lush, much more so than other years. It's all just so friggin ABUNDANT. The grass is hideously high and thick because it can't be mowed. The perennials are so big that they aren't even recognizable- SIL had foxgloves rimming her yard taller than I am. Weird thing is I am having Alice-in-Wonderland syndrome and I actually feel small!

That was I felt small until I entered my studio and did a quick appraisal of what I need to do to get it moved out. Somehow I have built a solid 12" shell of *stuff* from floor to ceiling and that shell now is creeping out into the room at the floor level. Stuff in baskets and bags, stuff bulging out from under the table, stuff hanging like a three dimensional object from the bulletin board, stuff creeping over every surface. It is simply overwhelming, So, this weekend TY will be in CT so I will go out this morning and scoop up moving boxes somewhere and start in sorting and tossing and donating,

The studio in FL all packed up and ready to move-
This is here as a reminder that it indeed CAN be done.

I dropped the doggie at the kennel the other day and while I was there a woman brought in a load of old blankets to donate so one problem is solved- the old quilts, the ones big enough and washable enough, are going to the poor blanket-less dogs. (I will pick a shelter though, not the $35 a night boarding kennel.) For the fabric I no longer want I will donate to someplace else- I'll call the Senior Center and see if they can use it for their programs. If not, I guess it's Goodwill. I know how excited I get when I find someone's stash there. Last time I did this I filled a couple of boxes and put it at the guild meeting with a big 'free' sign. It absolutely evaporated. I'd do this again but the meetings don't start until September and I need it gone soonest.

I measured linear footage of books I want to take and came out to 25' so that pile will have to be pared down too. I want to keep all the books that have pictures of my work, 9'+/-, and all my art books of course and that takes the foot measurement down to ...ummm..25'! I'll have to do some serious soul searching here.


Top of the drawing table, then, underneath the drawing table- bet you didn't know that there IS a drawing table here!

Paint stuff, at least part of it:

Inside Pandora's armoire- just linens and barkcloth! Two more bins of fabric to pack,


Equipment? Ohmigawd... I'll take the serger I 'had to have' ten years ago and have not yet broken out of it's plastic packaging, but do I need 10 embroidery hoops really? Since I haven't hand quilted in years I can let a few of them go. Buttons? I have drawers-full and I am going to let the ordinary ones go. I have shoeboxes full of old jewelry- necklaces too heavy to wear, things that are broken or have lost pieces, old watches, old rhinestones (I'll never give up!), beads loose and beads still strung, all saved with the idea that someday I may 'need' it. Oh yeah, a stash of hideous earrings from the 80's that makes my lobes hurt just looking at them. All saved as grist for the mill.

Well, the Mill is closing!

The one thing I am not worried about including!

  Keep them doggies rollin'...

Keeping the Destination in mind! (BTW, that's not my car in the reflection of my studio door, though I wish it were!)




PS I actually finished this sweater/shrug thing before I left. I hate it.

Lock Up, Throw Away the Key

Remember these? I even used them to straighten my hair, back before I stopped fighting genetics. That model on the package must be why they went out of business, but they were sure fun to play with.

That pesky horror-scope again:

You may feel a bit stifled today as prior obligations prevent you from doing exactly what you want. But don't be too quick to judge the situation. Slow down and ask yourself how you can benefit now from fulfilling your responsibilities. Although your mental agility has you jumping all over the playing field, you'll be happier if you can stay in one place long enough to make it feel like your own.

Yup, this is my last email check before I have to leave for the rainy north. Yes, I WOULD be happier to stay in one place. I woke up at 6 today, threw on the same clothes I had on yesterday and hot footed over to the studio with a stop at Starbucks. I was there at 7:05 and stayed most of the morning until I reached a spot that there weren't any short-time-frame projects left. I hung a towel rod in the bathroom after I painted it, I painted a few other things including the dings on the pretty new floor (if cement can ever be called pretty.), moved more stuff around, and hung a 'take me' sign on the huge tv aimed at the property manager who is checking my place for leaks during violent thunderstorms. If no one claims it, it's a give-away when I get back for any two hefty guys who can carry it.

So now I am dealing with closing up the house, moving outdoor furniture, changing the light timers, making sure the refrigerator is emptied, and general stuff like that. After two years of not having a key to the house, I finally got one to work, thus thwarting all the house breakers out there. But afterall, what are they gonna get- my quiche pan? old paperback books? my full bag of stuff to haul to Goodwill? the empty propane tank? I guess I would be pretty upset if they went after the copper pipes.

The woodpecker is back in my tree looking at me and trying to decide if he should get involved here or not. Wish I had telepathy with birds, I'd tell him the place is all his and peck away.

Yesterday I had some major luck out on my buying circle- hit a great sale at Arhaus and bought up some of their display fabric, three green glass vases (maked down from $29 to $4, and some fabulous bleached twig sconce-type shelves marked down from SEVENTY-NINE dollars to ------------------------------$9. Grabbed them right up and don't have a clue what to do with them yet. So, I am all 'accessorized' in this place now and have to stay away from overdoing it.

I'll leave you with this card I found on Cafepress:

Easy Move

Moving day. It took three times as long to load as unload, still, the whole move was accomplished in 2 hours by two very efficient and strong guys who weren't even phased by today's 90+ temperatures. Here is the last piece coming in.

Rough set-up showing my new bar stools I found at a thrift store yesterday. The barkcloth seats are perfect with the barkcloth I already have on some chairs.

My two old closet shelves work in the bathroom for all those back-up supplies. I found an old wooden towel rack at the same thrift shop so will paint it up for the bathroom.
Here is the view back to the garage door. My 12 tubs of fabric and affiliated stuff are on the right. The sewing table will slide right under the print table which will span between the two bookshelves shown. My list to save fro my return in a few months-

3 4x8 styrofoam insulation panels for the very hot garage door (and display, and additional working wall)

2 deep 48" wide wire shelving units for paper supplies and existing drawer system to be shipped down

3 shallow 48" wire units for fabric storage

2 4x8 MDF panels to become work tables

1 4x8 MDF panel to be split into 2'x8' pieces to become desk unit for window wall

big industrial sink

etching press (oh oh.)

rugs for desk area and chairs at entry

I'll order these---and a guy to handle the light carpentry, when I get back. I'll be dealing with twice this much stuff when I send down the stuff from Newton so I might need all of you to come help stuff it into nooks and crannies. Also this afternoon my real estate guy dropped by to take me around to meet some neighbors. One couple does amazing watercolor and acrylic paintings that I see all over the art fairs in south Florida. They are right across the driveway from me so we are starting our own 'arts community'. Another company makes children's fantasy costumes and items- things like fairy hats and maribou trimmed capes that are sold at theme parks mostly for little girls. Wish I could have rooted around in there! Their studio was packed to the roof with sparkly net exploding from every little drawer. Then we went to visit 'the guys'- old guys who collect beads from every imaginable source- we commiserated on the death of flea markets where you could find real deals. Imagine little clear cups full to the brim and stacked on little shelves to the ceiling. Now imagine more little cups on rolling racks in front of all those. Now imagine desks jammed together and also filled with little cups of beads. Amazing. Next I get to meet the Car Guys because the next group to meet collect old and special edition cars. I have already got my eye on a 1938 Ford, bright red, parked in front of one space. Have to meet this guy, I love old cars.

But now I am back at home trying to get ready to close it up for a few months. It's killin' me to leave, I am so excited about this studio and simply dying to use it!

What is this fresh hell?

Horror-scope:

You may feel the need to reconsider a recent decision. It's not that you are particularly pessimistic today, but your extreme optimism over these past few days is in the process of settling down.

Spent the day thrift shopping and got two great counter chairs, bamboo swivel things with barkcloth flora fabric. I snapped them up and then had to make two trips back and forth back and forth to fetch them. One is actually still in the rent-a-car because I ran out of steam and needed a big long drink and an hour on the couch. Two more 'gotta-haves' taken care of. Movers coming at 8 in the morning, looks like I will be there sitting and worrying most of the day. My new business checks came today with the wrong address, have to get that reordered. And I have to pay a deposit for electricity even though I have had an account here for 15 years. Bummer.

Reconsider? hell no.

Two steps forward, one step back

Turns out my new Bolivian/Italian/American pal is a real find. He arrives when he says he will, calls when he might be late, and notifies me along the way when there is a problem. Now, I do have to say that the light color on the floor is a major help in brightening the space and I love it. He is also doing halfway up the one green wall today and can't wait to see the full effect of fresh paint.

Which brings me to 'the problem': He was painting away on my floor yesterday with the garage door up, but a deluge of rain swept in. By the time he noticed the rain coming in sideways, a strip about 4' wide was sopping wet and my precious paint running out onto the sidewalk. My guy got scrub brushes and worked on the sidewalk and managed to get the paint diluted enough that it didn't do permanent damage, then of course he needed more paint to fix the bare strip again, so off I went to Home Depot to grab the third gallon for him. When I got back he showed me where there is a squirty leak in a drainpipe entering the ceiling, and a big splotch where the second coat of paint had washed away from that water. We don't know if the leak is from a ceiling or the pipe itself might be cracked and I have to leave town in four days! I contacted the property manager who is going to keep an eye on it, but WTF- I only closed on this a few days ago. And the place was thoroughly checked for water stains or any evidence of leakage- but of course this IS Florida and the rains can be torrential, like yesterday.

After patching the thin spots on the floor and fixing the wash-outs, my guy was again out of paint- told him to stop drinking it, so at 7 AM today I was at Home Depot getting my fourth can. As I reached for the paint on the shelf the lights went out. I felt my way to the paint desk in time for the lights to come back on BUT the paint mixing computer was completely out. So I sat there at the paint desk chatting with the painters from all over the area telling me paint related horror stories. Finally the computers came back on and my color got located, called 'WOOL COAT', of all things. Since it was 93 here yesterday it wasn't something I wanted to discuss.

Made this for the door:

I'll have a real sign made when I get back in the fall. Or maybe I will just paint the windows and doors with Ivory Flakes mixed in water. This was a big kid activity in the 50's, anybody remember? Looks like snow. And I will be snug and warm in my wool coat, the one with all the patches!

The horror-scope today: You are jazzed about the potential in your life now, yet you also see the sacrifices you may need to make in order to accomplish your goals. Luckily, you are not worried about what could get in your way. You assume that obstacles will inevitably appear and you'll respond to them as they do. Nevertheless, a methodical approach and a steady hand will assist you in your journey. (this is the closest my little pallet has to the new studio floor color.)

Hmmm. How right- I certainly do need a steady hand these days. I am being pulled in seven directions getting this house cleaned up and closed up so I'll be ready to leave in a few days. Meanwhile I am having the studio floor painted today by the Bolivian/Italian/American so I won't be able to set foot in there for a few days as it dries. Then we have found a guy to move all my stuff out, but still no day commitment from him, and I can't make a plane reservation to go home until that's set. Yesterday we realized that TY is driving back to Boston, which also leaves me car-less as I am certainly NOT driving the topless Cobra around, so that means I have to find myself a rental for my remaining time here. OK, done whining.

Spent yesterday getting the utilities turned on and a brand new bank account opened so I can keep studio stuff out of the regular house account. The financial guy I dealt with was a decade younger than my own kids- happens more and more lately and is so disconcerting. I wanted to tell him to wear sunscreen and drive carefully... ever the mom, it just can't be turned off. Which brings me to this quote, so applicable for a recovering mom:

"The places we have known belong now only to the little world of space
on which we map them for our own convenience. No one of them was ever
more than a thin slice, held between the contiguous impressions that
composed our life at that tie; remembrance of a particular form is but
regret for a particular moment; and houses, roads, avenues are as
fugitived, alas as the years." Proust

(happily becoming a person again)

Ganymede Part II

Here we go, photos of the new studio during my first visit after the paperwork!
I forgot to get an outside shot, but this is from the center looking toward the front wall (south, unfortunately- I have a sneaking suspicion that garage door will be hotter than a stove top. I found 3 pieces of wood 4'x8' with some sort of insulation and was told that the previous tenant used them across the door to keep the heat down. Geesh, who would have thought about heat radiating from their garage door? Not me. We'll see. Yesterday was overcast so it wasn't bad at all.

Here's the south wall and my cool fans. The windows look out onto a strip of nice landscaping and a pond beyond with fencing around it. I don't know whether this keeps fisher guys away or alligators inside. Time will tell. I asked about a handyman and got a recommendation so called him yesterday to meet me about painting the floor. He goes by the name of JC and is a little South American guy who showed up early and speaks very good English. Then I find out he is actually a licensed architect (he showed me his certificate from U of Miami) from Bolivia who was rousted from his bed at 3AM by the militia with machine guns and fled back to the states leaving everything. But he doesn't do CAD, graduated in 1983 before it was so widely used, so cannot get a job with an architectural firm and has struck out on his own. I've found my handyman to get things rolling here. And oh, did I say he is Italian? Now he is Bolivian-Italian-American. I don't think there are any fraternal groups for that.

As we were measuring walls and walking around thinking there was a clap of thunder. The trusty canine immediately hid under the sink in the bathroom, and here she is peeking out to make sure I'm still there. One damn clap of thunder and it had to happen on her first visit- I will never be able to get her back in there. Oh yeah, I have a water fountain over there on the left. First order of business is to replace it with a laundry tub.

So, there it is. My work is cut out for me for at least the next week. The floor will be painted on Tuesday, so I will start looking for some guys to get a truck and move my stuff over on Thursday. And I will be missing that long ride back to Boston on Wednesday and will be force to FLY (poor me) when I am finished here.

Ganymede Studio

I got accepted into another show during the Lowell Quilt Festival this summer. ArtQuilts Lowell, at the Brush Gallery is taking my 'Tune In, Turn On, Drop Cloth' piece that you are already sick of seeing on this blog. I am two shows within a few blocks of each other, the opening on the same afternoon, just staggered a bit with the Whistler. Can't wait, this will be a fun summer because these shows follow hot on the heels of my week taking the Dorothy Caldwell class. If I don't get fired up from this, I might as well hit the recliner with an afghan.

I've got to do some spray painting, and my mask is back in MA. How's this Louis Vuitton number, does it make me look fat?
And I have been looking for a small laser printer, preferably color. I found one at Costco but the stats were in Spanish and I couldn't twirl it around to see the English side. I figure if I can't carry it, it's not for me. Well, that's the PC line, actually I wanted to find out more about that particular model. Remember this Xerox machine?

Back when I started teaching we had mimeograph machines and we would all spend our free period in the teacher's room cranking out our copies because the office Xerox was only for special occasions, teachers weren't allowed to touch it. It was about two thirds of this one above which is larger than my first two kitchens. I guess that shows how old I am when I am talking about how things used to be.

Early tomorrow is my closing on Ganymede Studio, and I am beyond excited to start this new venture. It's being cleaned for me today and I can start fooling around in there tomorrow as soon as the foolishness of all those papers is over. First thing is to paint the floor which I think will help brighten it up a bit. Second I need to find a small haul moving company to get my stuff out of my house, so I am hoping that these things can be accomplished before next weekend when we really need to get back north. I'm going to save all the setting up for when I get back and don't feel like I'm under the gun to appear organized. Pictures my new cement box, as far as the eye can see, tomorrow after I get back home. Next step is PAINTED cement.

I'll leave you with these new pantythose. If I can get everyone to wear these, this will be the standard for legs and I will fit right in again! Wish I could still walk in heels.

More Catch-Up Anyone?

Iconic, eh? Of course this is The Last Supper, probably one of the most famous images out there.  Now go look at this link! You gotta love the scope of these visions.  Have fun here.

Worst Wedding Dress or best tampon costume of the last century.


Bobby Neely Adams, Photographer


Bob Ross,or someone who plays him on tv.


Inhale Exhale Flip Book

Damien Hirst designs Levis.


Sarah's Smash Shack, there should be one in every town!

My hero and basis for all memories from 1966-1975 (the lost decade).  




Flea Circus


Kill Your Television

Addendum: In the course of writing this I had a cardinal and a woodpecker stop by to taunt me in my tree. Neither lasted long but the red flashes were deeeevine on this gray day. They must be trying to bulk up on bugs before the rains come back.

Adventures of the unadventurous

I laid in wait for my 3 bluejays to return, but they continued to elude my camera until I caught this one on the ground. I'll keep trying until I get all three lined up on a nearby branch staring in the window- at least that's what they do until I aim the camera at them.


Spent the day yesterday dealing with the tire- had AAA come early in the morning to change it to the little donut tire in the trunk, good for 50 miles they say, but you shouldn't go over 40 mph, and the dealer is 20 miles up the road. So away I go after I checked the weather radar hoping to get there between lightening storms which are blanketing the area this month. The map was clear except for a cell right over Jupiter so off I went. And the cell stayed right with me, was moving along at, you guessed it, 40 mph north. I would have turned back it was so bad, but didn't have enough tire to go back and start again! I had already reached my SCARED quota from the day before when I got out after driving to the airport and back at breakneck speeds and found the tire all split on the sides and flat as can be. The whole thing could have blown on I95 and I could have been dead with no one here to even realize that the dog needs feeding. The dead part doesn't bother me near as much as Molly not being attended to, weird, huh?

Got it changed, turned in my 'free tires for life' coupon that I tore the glove compartment apart to find at TY's insistance, they rejected it because they meant free tires for life only if they wear out, not if they pop and you drive so far on them that the edges break! I argued, he wouldn't give me an inch, another scam. TY had a phone-fit and started flapping around about what HE would have done, the manager, the sales guy, the district. Then he told me I need to get the old tire so he has it to go after them with. Nothing like a retired guy with nothing to do. Yikes. $289 for the tire and getting it balanced. That I haven't told him yet, and the tire is in my trunk where it will stay because I am not moving it.

Here's a close up of the Artyarns lace vest as it was being blocked,
And here's the whole thing: Prettiest yarn on earth, and you should see it sparkle.
Third attempt at lace, each time they get larger and more complex, but I think maybe this is as much as I want to do.  I hate having to maintain a count!  And I can't imagine actually wearing this stuff, I'm not exactly a lace kind of gal.

B is for Blue, Bare, Blind, Bum, Boomerang, and Bees

Have I told you about my pet bluejays?  Right outside the window over my desk is a big sea grape tree.  There is one particular bluejay that frequents the branches and seems to enjoy watching me, in fact one day tried very hard to join me by flinging himself at the window, leaving a feathery headprint, and falling to the ground where he sat for several hours.  (Haven't had the effect on a man in 40 years.)

Now my little friend is showing up with 2 of his buddies, a herd of three.  They sit and stare at me until the precise second my camera focuses and I remember to turn off the flash-  they they flap away.  I now have about twenty pictures of branches they just left, and my camera battery is recharging in the socket from being left on so long.  And guess what, here they all are back in the window watching me again.  One of these days I will get a picture of these wiley critters.

I met with a lawyer yesterday to ask about commercial space and what I must do as far as being legal.  The lawyer is getting me my tax number and registering my name as an LLC.  Apparently this town is strict on zoning, but most of the laws are for businesses in homes and it looks at this point as if teaching will be OK from the new studio.  So far my only drawback seems to be that there aren't more artists in this section.  I know of one unit that is painters, but that's hardly a community.  Looks like I am going to have to get involved with that old bugaboo of mine, self promotion.  As soon as I get the place in order I will plan an open studio and see if I can attract some interest.  I'll have to come up with some sort of hook to get people in-  maybe cheesecakes and mimosas on one tray and cheezewhiz and beer on another?  Maybe, just maybe (?) I am getting ahead of myself a bit.

And now, the *B* quilts, not as in B-movies, but instead things that start with 'B' that need new homes!

Boomerang Quilt, 18" square, done as part of an on-line challenge when it was a NEW thing!

Bear Collage, 30" x 48", digital bear image transfer, vintage bear paw blocks, stencils, paint on canvas.
Bumroll, collage, 24" square, image transfer onto canvas
Building a Better Tiger, 24" square, collage on canvas
Blind Tag, 24" square, collage and paint on canvas, vintage redwork embroidery, image transfers, anaglyptic wallpaper.
Bees in Her Bonnet, 14" x 20" approx.  Monoprint on silk, embroidery, embellishment
Beach, 12" square, painting on canvas, collage elements
Bare Pause, 32" x 54" approx, fabric collage, raffia, linen, cottons.  Machine and hand applique
Bare Clause, 60" square, vintage Bear Paw blocks with contemporary cottons and metallics

Interested in any of these?  Get in touch, they are all marked at half price (but alas, my price list is out of state---as is my size list).  Not interested yet?  Stay tuned for the 'C's, 'D's, et al.  And yes, I have 2 'Z' quilts!   

Missed Alleinia. Mist Elainia. Miss Sellania

So, for some reason I stumbled across a chart showing the popularity of names over time so I punched in 'Sandra' and sure enough... looks like the last one was named on the late 70's.  

And here is 'Sandy' which looks like it's still being used by one child a year...

And a shout out for Gwen McGee's totally fabulous blog with
an unparalleled collection of all things textile. By far the best textile site on the web, IMHO. You never know what the next post will be about, and all show extensive research which she distills down to just the essence of the hunt. Visit it regularly, you will not be disappointed. Thanks so much for all your work, Gwen!

This is Why You're Fat in case you couldn't figure it out for yourself!    Oh oh, just noticed that they announced that they now have a book deal, the death knoll for a website as the britches are outgrown!

Olde English Lesson!
'woolly'- PRONUNCIATION: (WOOL-ee)  ETYMOLOGY: From Old English wull.
MEANING: adjective:
1. Fuzzy; unclear; confused; vague; disorganized; rough.
2. Of or relating to wool.


Gasterea is the goddess of the pleasures of taste. Lucky woman.

Fredrich Froebel, who invented the kindergarten, taught that humans benefit more by what they put forth from within than by what they absorb or acquire from outside. He emphasized the importance of self-determined, all-sided, self-activity. He described it as “giving body to spirit and form to thought” (Froebel 1887, 93).

Well alrighty then. I've gotten my 'BLOG STUFF' folder emptied, treated myself to a KitKat bar (I figure they are better than a really dense candy bar, eh?), and just read an email that I was accepted into the Whistler Museum show in July! Yahoo! Looks like my 'buckshot' approach finally hit something. I was a juror for the first of these shows at the Whistler, so have held back entering until now and am so pleased to be accepted because it's traditionally a good collection.  Here is The Quilt.  I will be happy to see it somewhere other than my hallway!   

No News Yet

Made the offer on my studio space, kind of expected to write a check and he would hand me the keys so I could start hauling stuff into the space, but I guess that's now how a real estate transaction works- lots of mentions of thirty days here, lawyer blah blah blah, and thirty days there and Leona Helmsley I am not. And they didn't give a crap that I have started buying soap squirters for the bathroom and have picked out carpeting. My friends are all sending suggestions for what to add, most of which include a bed (!). Bet they will change their tune real quick washing their feet in a laundry sink. But folks, seriously, no beds! This won't be a live-in space (in spite of me doing a dance around some lovely scented candles yesterday. I DID NOT buy them!) There was however a wondeful rusty white lawn chair at Anthropology for only $2000 supposedly from France (yeah, sure... looked like maybe Hampton Beach to me!) that I quite fell in love with.) Instead the money will be going to a little press- a dream of long standing.

Jupiter Moons, 60" x 60"

Also, I think I have picked out a name for the space: Ganymede Studio. Ganymede is the largest moon circling Jupiter, and since I am in Jupiter it seems appropriate. I can't get my head around the story of Ganymede, it doesn't really resonate but my other choices were equally dark: Callisto, Io, and Europa. All four were victims or Zeus in one way or another and that doesn't work for me, so I am sticking to them all only being MOONS. I checked out the names of all 63 moons that have names- some are part of a belt that hardly qualifies as anything but astro-junk, but none worked any better than Ganymede. Suggestions taken!  

Now, as a present for your continued reading of my drivel, here are some real stories done by real writers. This was sent to me today by Teddy Pruett who has two pieces included, so be sure to read those first- they are the best! And send the link on to whoever may be interested, per their request. Thanks-




Free eBook honoring Women's History Month

Enjoy,

I'm Just Musin' Along

With my purchase of the new studio front and center these days, I am a busy woman *in my head* making plans.  I don't know how long it will take to be mine-all-mine after I write the check and don't want to jinx anything by arranging stuff too early but I can PLAN, can't I?  As soon as I have it under contract I will start the floors-  seems that the best option is a three step process, hence a three day process, of etching, priming, then painting the floors with an acrylic concrete paint.  When that's done I have to find a mover to get the stuff out of my home studio and move it over.  I don't have the strength or stamina any more to handle it myself, so I am hearing Judy's voice in my head:  THROW MONEY AT IT!  This advice has held me well on so many occasions.   So, here are the other guys I will be throwing money at in the near future:

A plumber to change the sink, an electrician to figure out some good task lights, and a carpenter to install the homosote, a counter top and whatever else I put on my list.  I also need the movers to stop at Home Depot and haul out plywood for my worktables.  Of course none of this would be necessary if I had married a handy man instead of a lawyer who was raised 

to be ...

THEN I go home to Boston for a bit to catch up there and finally take that Dorothy Caldwell class at QBTL that I have been planning on doing for years.  After that I pack up the Boston studio and ship it lock stock and barrel(s) down to FL, then try to beat the truck down I-95 so I can let them into the studio.  And listen to me, talkin' like 'packing up the studio' will be an afternoon event!  Just going through the accumulated stuff will take weeks, then trying to dispose of the stuff I no longer want will be a challenge.  I am having second thoughts about hauling down the older quilts that I don't exhibit any longer, like these that are only some of the pieces beginning with 'A' which I am peddling to you.  I don't have any of the actual measurements, but have guessed.  If it's important, contact me and I'll get the exact sizes as soon as I get back.

Ascention, oil printed lace, photo transfers, resist, and sun print.  About 13" x 18" as I remember.    SALE   $100

Aftermath I, about 24" x 30", photo transfer of a 1938 postcard of hurricane devistation in Worcester, MA, raw edge applique.   SALE  $150

Aquarium, maybe 12" x 18", cotton, paper collage, machine quilting, SALE   $75

Apple Curry Soup, about 50" square, made for my appearance on 'Simply Quilts', collage technique, vintage photo transfer, vintage linens, mosaic technique (what I was demonstrating on the show), printed linen placemats and anything else I could sew down!  SALE  $500

August, about 40" square, all vintage tablecloths cut up and reassembled-  note two squirrels eating the spoils.  SALE  $500

Aftermath II, about 32" square, vintage postcard of 1938 hurricane cleanup.  SALE  $300

Adirolf, maybe 4' x 6', a big one!  All vintage tablecloths, tea towels and barkcloth fabrics, some old Dresden plate quilt squares, embellishments, all hand applique.  SALE  $750

And here it is, the ever popular Richard Genn's column today that started me on this.  I know I need to cull the herd, but burning things in my gas fireplace isn't an option yet-  better I just wad them up and send them to the dump:

Esoterica: It's important for living artists to be constantly weeding. Destroying substandard work is not only good for the heirs, it's good for the artist: nothing worse than mediocrity in sight. Burning, while illegal in some jurisdictions, is best. I do it quietly on cold, sentimental nights as a ceremony of sacrifice in the fireplace. Further, a quick note in the will, "Destroy all unsigned art," saves everybody a lot of trouble and anguish. Remember, it's always nicer to enjoy a few brilliant friends than to endure a crowd of dullards.

(If, by any chance, any of these interest you, contact me and I'll give you more information.  I take Paypal or checks from anywhere but Nigeria.)  And stay tuned because I have even more 'B's than 'A's!  Next post, promise.  Or wait a bit and see if I lower them even further so I don't have to ship them south!  Or, make me an offer I can't refuse...  

HEY, I really like Rayna's little signature she has been adding lately at the bottom of her posts-  I have to copy the idea and work one up, but with MY name!  OK, Rayna?  I hope so because I just did it!